Berliners love their ice cream and with so many ice cream shops in the city to choose from I though I’d point you towards some of my favourites with my 6 of the Best Berlin Ice Cream Shops list.
Eis Saison (ice cream season) is a big deal in Berlin. Around the end of February or beginning of March, ice cream parlours come out of their winter hibernation and still wrapped in coats and scarves, customers everywhere decide ‘Waffel oder Becher?’ (cone or pot?).
I haven’t been to every ice cream shop in Berlin by a long stretch so I can’t give a definitive answer on the best in the city but for now here’s my selection of the best Berlin ice cream shops.
Anna Durkes – Kreuzberg
My current favourite, Anna Durkes is a pretty Italian ice cream shop in Kreuzberg’s Graefekiez. Owners Anna and Giorgio also serve coffee and Italian treats but for me it’s all about the beautifully creamy gelato.
My Advice: Get the Stracciatella – amazing alone but especially delicious when combined with a scoop of rich velvety chocolate.
JONES Ice Cream – Schöneberg + Mobile Van
Owner Gabrielle Jones has been serving her ice cream, including some excellent booze laden varieties and incredible cookies at Berlin’s street food events since 2013. The former Championne de France du Dessert (French Champion of Dessert) winner will soon add a shop to her distinctive baby blue vintage Citroen van.
My Advice: Keep an eye on the JONES Ice Cream Facebook page for details of the opening of their first shop in Schöneberg.
Read more about JONES Ice Cream
Hokey Pokey – Prenzlauer Berg
The ice cream at Hokey Pokey is so good that the owners were forced to raise their prices and hire extra staff when nearby residents complained about the noisy customers standing outside on the pavement. Not that it has made it any less popular. I’m a big fan of the Belgian chocolate ice cream here.
My Advice: Try to avoid peak times. The queues here get ridiculously long.
Gelateria Mos Eisley – Neukölln
Ideally placed for collecting an ice cream on the way to Tempelhofer Feld, Gelateria Mos Eisley is the dream come true of owner Daniela Teuber, who learned her craft at the Gelato University in Bologna.
My Advice: You can get Zwei Dicke Bären ice cream sandwiches here.
Read more about Gelateria Mos Eisley
Vanille & Marille – Kreuzberg / Schöneberg / Steglitz / Tempelhof
With 5 shops across Berlin, there’s always a chance that you won’t be too far from a Vanille & Marille if an ice cream craving hits. As well as the usual pots and cones for scoffing on the spot there is a limited range of ice cream available in 550ml tubs to takeaway.
My Advice: Try the Edelschokolade aus belgischer Schokolade, a luxuriantly rich chocolate ice cream made with Belgian chocolate.
Read more about Vanille & Marille
Fräulein Frost – Neukölln / Tempelhof / Charlottenburg
The Fräulein Frost on Friedelstrasse is probably the biggest ice cream shop I’ve seen and on hot summer days the queues snake out of the door.
My Advice: Keep an eye out for special flavours – I once had a mind blowing Cheesecake Biscuit ice cream here.
Read more about Fräulein Frost
Is your favourite Berlin Eisladen missing from my list of the best Berlin ice cream shops? If so, tell me about it in the comments – maybe I haven’t been there yet.
Don’t forget the newly opened Oak & Ice in Prenzlauer Berg and Nunzio in Steglitz!
I don’t live far from Nunzio but I’ve only had cake there so far but eating Eis there is on my to do list. I hadn’t heard of Oak & Ice before but I’ve added that to the list now too. Thanks for the recommendations.
Deep deep in the south, in Lichterfelde-Süd, my favourite is Dolce Vita in Lindenstraße 1, 12207 Berlin. The Amarenabecher ist simply a dream, huge with LOTS of Amarena cherries and whipped cream on delicious icecream balls, and the price of 4,50 € is amazing (in 2015; my next Berlin trip is only in two weeks time and you can bet I’ll be at Dolce Vita again). In the Frankfurt/Main region where I come from, you’d have to pay at least 2 € more.
Total Geheimtipp: Henrys in Friedenau. Fantastic ice cream with all natural ingredients made from scratch… My personal favourite is their Earl Grey ice cream with baked cherries, but Salty Caramel is the bomb, too